When to put up the Christmas tree

Modern tradition is to put up a Christmas tree the day or weekend after Thanksgiving (after the fourth Thursday in November). Thus on Black Friday.

In some communities it is tradition to put up the Christmas tree on the 6th of December in honor on Saint Nicholas.

The classic tradition is to put up the Christmas tree 12 days before Christmas day, on the 13th of December.

In Catholic tradition the Christmas tree is put up after noon on Christmas eve.

Which Christmas tree to buy

All Christmas trees are cute – the sight of any should bring a smile to your face. And there are many types: from the small prepackaged collapsible artificial trees which you can pick up for a dollar or two to the 9.5 ft (2.9 m) high Chesapeake Christmas tree, pictured, that comes with 1500 pre-lit clear lights and a $500 price tag.

If you feel even splashier this season you may consider the famous 20 ft (6.1 m) Soo Kee Christmas tree that could be yours for $1 million or so – you may keep the decorations that consist of 3,762 beads and 21,798 diamonds.

If you’d prefer something smaller in the same price range, consider the 24k gold Ginza Tinaka Christmas tree. All of the above are, of course, non-drop trees.

Non-drop – meaning the needles are retained by the tree – real Christmas trees are the Douglas Fir, Fraser Fir or Nordman Fir spruce tree varieties with the Scots Pine said to be the best retaining spruce tree with its long needles and fresh pine smell. The Blue Spruce is a low-drop tree.

If you do not mind a bit of extra excitement with spruce fir needles among the gifts you can choose between the so-called Traditional Christmas trees: the Norway Spruce or the Omorica Spruce. The National Christmas Tree Association has all the tree facts.

When to take a Christmas tree down

Indeed, what goes up must come down. Traditionally Christmas trees are taken down 12 days after Christmas but some take it down on Epiphany, January 6th.

Whichever tree you choose and whenever you put it up it is important to remember the reason for the season.